Congestion worsens at Helsinki-Vantaa as liquid restrictions cause delays at European airports

At the beginning of September, strict liquid restrictions were reintroduced at European airports, limiting carry-on liquids to containers of no more than 100 milliliters. This regulation has caused significant congestion at Helsinki-Vantaa and other European airports, where new generation carry-on scanners have been implemented. In some cases, wait times have extended up to two hours as travelers were required to discard oversized liquid containers.

According to Finnair, the impact of this regulation on flight schedules has been minimal. However, some passengers have missed their flights due to security check delays. Efforts have been made to inform customers about the situation in advance.

Tarja Lahnalampi from Kokkola, traveling to Budapest, reported that her preparation for the restrictions went smoothly. “I hadn’t heard about the changes, but I was ready with containers under 100 milliliters,” she stated. Finnair had warned her prior to the flight about the potential congestion at the airport.

Congestion began immediately following the implementation of the new liquid rule. Finavia’s passenger services director, Hanna Hämäläinen, noted they process between 50,000 to 60,000 passengers daily, and almost one in two travelers had larger liquid containers than allowed. Many passengers are also unaware that spreadable and liquid foods are classified as liquids, leading to further complications.

The current wait times at security have varied, with reports of over an hour just yesterday, though it has since decreased to approximately five minutes. Long waits are not Finavia’s goal, and if passengers miss a flight, they need to contact their airline.

The European Commission has raised concerns that new C3 scanners may not reliably detect explosives in containers larger than 330 milliliters. Restrictions will remain until device manufacturers can prove their systems work effectively, a process that could take several months.

Finavia has announced they are hiring more security staff following the regulations, aiming to alleviate congestion as passenger traffic is expected to rise.